It’s that time of the year for The Win Column’s NHL Draft Rankings and Draft Profiles! The 2024 NHL Draft will be held on June 28 and 29 at The Sphere in Las Vegas.
Up next is a right winger for the Oshawa Generals, Beckett Sennecke.
Who is Beckett Sennecke?
| Player | Position | Handedness | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beckett Sennecke | RW | R | 6’2″ | 188 lbs |
Sennecke’s on-ice production
| YEAR | DRAFT RELATIVE | LEAGUE | TEAM | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | D-2 | GTHL U16 | Toronto Marlboros U16 AAA | 45 | 35 | 45 | 80 |
| 2022–23 | D-1 | OHL | Oshawa Generals | 61 | 20 | 35 | 55 |
| WHC-17 | Canada White U17 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | ||
| 2023–24 | D+0 | OHL | Oshawa Generals | 63 | 27 | 41 | 68 |
Sennecke doesn’t have much production tracked, only going as far back as 2021–22. During that season, Sennecke played 45 games for the Toronto Marlboros, scoring 35 goals and 80 points. His performance saw him selected eighth overall by the Oshawa Generals in the 2022 OHL Draft.
Immediately making the jump to the OHL, Sennecke had his rookie season with the Generals in 2022–23. Suiting up for 61 out of 68 games, Sennecke put up 20 goals and 55 points in a top-six role. This placed him fourth on the team in scoring and second in terms of rookies.
Then came his OHL sophomore and draft season. The Generals were a very good team, finishing fourth in the OHL. Sennecke’s production went up a solid amount, scoring 27 goals and 68 points. He’s added an additional 17 points in 12 playoff games. Sennecke and the Generals are currently in the conference finals against the North Bay Battalion after sweeping the Ottawa 67’s.
Sennecke’s strengths
Scoring ability
Sennecke has a great ability to score due to his shot and placement. Starting with his wrist shot, Sennecke carries a hard and heavy shot. He’ll read the play and place himself in the best position. This could be with the puck or an off-puck play. With the puck, Sennecke will walk the zone, put himself in a clear lane, and then send a hard wrist shot to the net.
With off-puck play, Sennecke will place himself in an open area, and upon receiving the puck, he’ll settle it quickly and put it toward the net. He can also use it dangerously in many other situations. Such as in close tight to the net or under pressure. He’ll use puck movement to evade pressure before shooting it top shelf. In addition to his wrist shot, Sennecke also has a great one-timer.
He’ll find open space and receive a tape-to-tape pass from his teammate. When he receives it, he quickly winds up and shoots a powerful one-timer that often beats goalies smoothly. His power is always consistent but his accuracy could use some work.
Skating
In the past two years, Sennecke has gone through a growth spurt, growing from 5’10” to 6’2″. This has affected some of his play, including his skating. He uses his extra height to build a more effective stride that helps him often separate from defenders. It doesn’t take many strides for him to build speed and reach his top speed.
His edgework isn’t super flashy like Ivan Demidov’s, but it is incredibly good. To start, when he’s flying with momentum, he can make smooth turns in other directions without losing speed. When he does this, it looks as if he is gliding on the ice. He also uses it to cut to the center of the ice or net. Using strong feet, he’ll make quick cuts and get past defenders.
Then comes in-zone play, where Sennecke can make pivots and turns to build up speed while controlling the puck and keeping pressure.
Skills/Smarts
Once again, Sennecke isn’t a flashy player, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have skill. He uses the tools he has properly and effectively. Using his strong feet, Sennecke is great at protecting the puck. He can fend off defenders with the strength he packs and the reach he has. He will also work his way through checks.
Driving the net, he can handle the puck with one hand and use the open one to push attacks away. He’ll read when to push to the net and use his size to screen the goalie and either tip the puck or clean up a rebound. Paired with his edgework, Sennecke can fake out defenders. This can be done with quick hands to gain the inside and then he won’t allow them with his size.
His passing is done right; he can draw defenders in and feed his open teammates. It makes him a dangerous player on the wall as opponents will be drawn towards him, leaving the slot open for his teammates.
Sennecke’s areas of improvement
Developing into his frame
Sometimes, Sennecke doesn’t look like he has quite developed into his body yet. His balance can be iffy from time to time. Light checks given by defenders can see him end up on the ground. He’ll put effort in while falling, but it is very often hopeless. If he doesn’t fall from the check, it’ll slow him down, and tons of pressure will be applied.
While his stride is good and picks up speed, it can sometimes lack explosiveness due to his frame. This can be paired with his inconsistent balance to create problems. Sennecke will struggle to pull away from the opponent, then they will apply physical pressure to him and it almost looks like he is just stopping in his tracks trying to keep balance.
Consistency with off-puck play
This could be tied into developing into his frame, but Sennecke’s off-puck play can be quite bad sometimes. When good, he’ll apply pressure with the body, relentlessly hunting down the puck. He’ll push through defenders and their checks to get possession of the puck.
Backchecking isn’t something he’ll shy away from, using the same strengths to shut down the attack. But when bad, it seems like Sennecke completely disregards this stuff. He’ll cheat for offence, not really reading the play and causing a turnover. When that turnover comes, he’ll give half of an effort to get back. As for hunting the puck, it just doesn’t seem like he wants to do it sometimes, sitting back and waiting for the play to develop.
Sennecke comparables
When watching Sennecke, he reminds me a bit of a Kirby Dach, who scores more goals. Both are tall power forwards who bring a package of skill and size. They have the willingness to cut to the net and use their body and skating to gain an advantage over defenders. Dach may be more naturally skilled and a better passer, but Sennecke doesn’t lack in those areas. Sennecke definitely projects to have a better shot than Dach.
Fit with the Flames
When it comes to organizational needs, right wingers are behind centres and defencemen. The Calgary Flames only have two natural right wingers in Matt Coronato and Martin Pospisil, but Pospisil may change positions in the future. In terms of prospects, there are none who are at the level of Sennecke. Coronato is a scorer, while Pospisil is a hard-hitting, big guy. Sennecke could be the perfect middle, but he projects as more of a scorer.
Summary
Beckett Sennecke has had two really solid years in the OHL after being selected inside the top 10. He’s brought in a package of size, skating, shot, and smarts that teams will love. There is work to be done with his game, but it appears to be problems that began with his large growth spurt. Sennecke projects to be a top-six scoring winger for some team and, at worst, should be a middle-six guy.
Risk: 1.5/5
Reward: 4/5
NHL Comparable: Goal-scoring Kirby Dach
Projection: Top-six, scoring winger
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2024 NHL Draft prospects:
Macklin Celebrini | Ivan Demidov | Artyom Levshunov | Sam Dickinson | Cayden Lindstrom | Berkly Catton | Cole Eiserman | Zeev Buium | Konsta Helenius | Zayne Parekh | Carter Yakemchuk | Anton Silayev | Tij Iginla | Adam Jiricek | Michael Brandsegg-Nygard | Liam Greentree | Igor Chernyshov | Trevor Connelly | Aron Kiviharju | Michael Hage | Ryder Ritchie | Sacha Boisvert | Nikita Artamonov | Maxim Masse | Cole Hutson | Beckett Sennecke | Dominik Badinka | Emil Hemming | Henry Mews | Terik Parascak | Alfons Freij | Charlie Elick | EJ Emery | John Mustard | Luka Misa | Tanner Howe | Lucas Pettersson
